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The overall goal of the Family Support Services Program is to enhance
the ability of a family with a seriously emotionally challenged
child or adolescent to function as a family within the community.
In order to accomplish this goal an array of flexible, supportive
and educational services are available to families to help maintain
emotional and behavioral stability, to avert out-of-home placement,
the need for a higher level of care or hospitalization.
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Listing of services:
- Respite Care
- Individualized In Home Family Education
- Specialized Educational Respite/Tutor
- Parenting Workshops
- Support Groups
- Parent Advocacy
- Food/Clothing Pantry
- Transportation Support
Description of Services:
Respite:
Is available to families who have a child between the ages of 5
and 13 with a serious emotional challenge. The family is eligible
for 3 hours/week of respite whereby a worker engages the child in
a fun recreational activity within the home or nearby community.
Meanwhile, the parent is able to enjoy a break from the continual
supervision of a special needs child.
Family Education:
A Family Education Specialist provides individualized in-home education
to parents to enhance parenting skills. A psycho-educational plan
is developed collaboratively and goals are identified and worked
towards. This service is offered for 3-6 months.
Specialized Educational Respite/Tutor:
In home one on one academic tutoring for those children showing
academic deficits whose families are already being served within
the program.
Parenting Workshops:
Six week Workshops are offered throughout the year on a variety
of topics such as General Parenting Skills, Anger Management and
Sibling Rivalry. Childcare is usually provided. Workshops are generally
run on either Tuesday or Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm-9:00pm.
Certificates are awarded for attending 5 out of 6 classes.
Psycho-Educational Support Groups:
Meet weekly for both emotional support and education concerning
parenting issues. A Parent Advocate co-facilitates these groups
with the Family Education Specialist. The Parent Advocate is available
to help families in locating and accessing services and resources
as well as just offering support, encouragement and hope. Groups
meet Tuesdays 10:00am-12:00 noon and Thursday 7:00pm-9:00pm.
Parent Advocacy:
A Parent Advocate is a person who has had the personal experience
of raising a child or children with emotional or behavioral challenges.
A Parent Advocate helps parents locate and access valuable and necessary
resources such as housing, public assistance, job-training, child-care,
health-care, camps, etc. A Parent Advocate can accompany a parent
to important school meetings such as conferences and CSE meetings.
A Parent Advocate can also simply provide emotional support and
become a liason for the family and the community.
Food Pantry/Clothing Closet:
Provides food and gently worn clothing to families in need within
all the programs of the Pederson-Krag Center North.
Transportation:
Funding is available to be used for transportation in the form
of cab rides, bus vouchers, and mileage reimbursements to support
activities vital to sustaining and strengthening the systemic functioning
of families. This is available to anyone in Suffolk County and can
be utilized to bring parents and children to CSE meetings, Parent-teacher
conferences, and mental health-related appointments.
Pederson-Krag Community Residence
Pederson-Krag Community Residence is an eight- bed group home for
adolescent boys diagnosed as seriously and emotionally challenged
who reside in Suffolk County. This Community Residence Program is
licensed and funded through the New York State Office of Mental
Health. The youth referred may be between 13 and 17 years of age,
however, admissions is contingent upon the composition of the residents
at time of referral. The staff is comprised of a Program Director,
Program Supervisor, Recreation Therapist, Senior Counselors and
Counselors who provide twenty-four hour supervision.
Residents of Community Residence may be referred from community
resources as well as inpatient psychiatric centers and residential
treatment facilities. An Admissions Committee, comprised of mental
health professionals, will review the applications to determine
appropriateness for admission to the Community Residence. It is
expected that the average length of stay for a resident will be
between twelve to eighteen months.
The overall goal is to enhance the social, emotional and behavioral
development of each youth served so that return to family or independent
living may be achieved. This is accomplished through behavioral
management strategies, linkages with family and community support
systems, recreation, training in daily living skills and other individualized
planned interventions provided while residing in a therapeutic milieu.
In addition to the services provided in the home, youth receive
educational/vocational, health and mental health services through
affiliations with local providers.
Director: Wayne M. Gurnick, M.S., C.S.W.
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